My husband and I are vacationing at the beach this week (excuse me while I shout!) and I found myself doing what scores of other beach vacationers do – comb the shores for The Perfect Shell – or two, or fifty!
While I was filling my bag, I got to thinking about what makes shell collecting so irresistible.
1. Each shell is unique.
2. Each shell is beautiful with its shape, size and color.
3. Each shell has a special need to fill for decorating or crafting (can’t wait to show you the ideas I have for mine!).
For me to compare one shell to another would be injustice. They each have their own design and come from the hand of a Divine Creator. Are there any that are perfect? I don’t think so.
Maybe we like shelling because it reminds us a bit of how the Lord created us! We are each unique, we look different from one another, and each of us has a place to fill that only we could occupy. If we are tempted to compare ourselves with someone else we fail to see God’s perfect design.
Recently at the ladies’ retreat at The Wilds the speaker said,
“The result of comparison will always end up with a sinful result; if we come up short, we fail to see God’s hand, if we come out ahead, we deal with pride.”
So stop comparing yourself to someone else or expecting perfection in your looks, abilities or accomplishments. Pick up the shell you found on your latest trip to the beach and remind yourself of your uniqueness!
Ground Beef was an easy choice for dinner one night last week, but the question was – “How do I use it?” I could have gone with tacos or Sloppy Joe’s, but I wanted something a little more unique. Then the word, “Empanada” came to mind. I did a quick search on the internet and I used this recipe, which I tweaked a little for my own preferences and according to what I already had on hand.
What is an Empanada? It’s a hand-held meat pie. You can add veggies as you like, but the meat also contains spices to give it flavor and depth. A purchased pie crust would work fine, but I like making crusts, so I made my own early in the day and refrigerated them until it was time to roll them out.
A great thing about this recipe is that you can make up the Emapanada, then pop them into the freezer until you need them! This would make a really fast supper! Pop it into the oven to bake and make a salad while they’re cooking and Voila! Dinner is ready!
Here’s how they’re made:
Click on pictures to enlarge.
Beef Empanadas
1 package of pre-made pie crust (2 rolls)
1 Tablespoon of oil
1 pound of hamburger
1/4 cup diced onions
1/2 medium diced bell pepper, any color
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon chili pepper
1 cup Mexican blended cheese
1 egg
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375*
Combine bell pepper, onion, garlic and oil and saute 3 minutes over medium heat.
Add hamburger, cumin and chili pepper to the pan and cook until meat is cooked through.
Set pan aside and let cool.
While meat mixture is cooling, roll out pie crust.
Using a bowl or large circle cutter, cut out 6″ round discs from pie crust. You should be able to get 3 from each crust making 6 total with a 7th created out of the leftover dough rolled out. I have a round cutter/crimper from Pampered Chef that I used.
Place 2 – 3 Tablespoons of mixture in the center of each pie disc.
Top with cheese.
Fold over and seal edges with a fork.
Place Empanadas on a cookie sheet.
Beat egg and brush on to tops of each Empanada.
Bake in oven for 15 – 20 minutes.
If you were going to freeze these, stop at #10 and wrap in freezer wrap. When it’s time to bake them, you could place a frozen Empanada on the baking sheet, brush with the egg, then bake until done (which may take a little longer than the normal 15-20 minutes).
Have you ever had or made these before? I hope you’ll try this recipe!
When we were looking for a home to purchase a couple years ago, my sweet friend and realtor laughed at my “clean oven fetish!” I would walk into the kitchen, open the oven door and also look at the stove top and give my approval or dislike for its cleanliness. My food goes in there! I like it clean on the inside and shining on the outside!
Then we moved into a brand new house and I got a stove that was perfectly clean! I needed a bottle of stove top cleaner to keep it that way, so thinking they were all alike, I purchased a random bottle. I had to wipe and wipe and wipe to get the streaks off! It drove me crazy! Then I recently found this bottle of Weiman Cleaner. It is the best cleaner I’ve ever used. II gets the grime off the stove and doesn’t leave a filmy residue that is hard to get off!
If you don’t have a product you love, I would highly recommend this one to you! Just look at that shine!
My plug for this product isn’t sponsored – it’s my totally my opinion. Hope this helps you keep your stove so clean it could sell your house for you!
Aren’t we women creative? We know how to plan and fix things. If there’s a problem, we can come up with a detailed list of 1,2,3’s that will end all difficulty! That is until the Lord steps in and reminds us that He is in control and we are not.
As I packed for my recent trip to Nova Scotia, I didn’t want to pay $25 to check a bag and also run the risk of losing my luggage and getting to the retreat unprepared. So, I packed my allowed two carry-on bags with the essentials, happy to know I had everything I needed for the weekend on my person! That is until I arrived at the gate of the first plane I was catching. The attendant looked and Kellie and me and said, “Step aside, please. I’m calling the stewardess in the plane to see if there’s room for your carry-on bag.”
Kellie and I looked at each other, with a look that could have meant we were headed for the guillotine! How could we let go of our bags? They had everything we needed – not just clothes, but the session outlines for the retreat, hygiene products, make up, curling iron… We waited. Then the call came – No more room on the plane for bags.
The attendant urged us to take out things that were urgent – medication, phone chargers, etc. We thought everything was urgent, but we didn’t have room for it in our backpacks that would be going with us, so we took out a few things, and then with an ominous air, our bags were snatched away with these words –
“Your bags will be shipped to your final destination.”
“They’ll be in Halifax when we get there?” we asked. We were assured that this was correct. We boarded the plane feeling a little relieved; not having to pay the normal $25 for checking a bag, and the delight of not having to drag that luggage through Atlanta and Toronto. It was a great day!
Later in the evening when we arrived in Toronto, we went through customs, passed through the baggage area, then on to security. I jokingly said to Kellie when we passed the baggage claim area, “I sure hope our bags aren’t over there waiting for us!” We laughed innocently and headed to the security line. We were approached by a woman who said, “Did you check bags?” We explained to her that our bags were going on to Halifax. “Sorry, but your bags won’t be in Halifax. They HAVE to go through customs at the first spot of entry into Canada. You should have gotten your bags here. Now there’s not time for you to go back or you’ll miss your plane.”
Our hearts sank. We had been given incorrect information, but there was nothing we could do about it. We boarded the plane to Halifax, prayer in our hearts to our God who knew exactly what we needed.
Sure to her word, our bags were not on the conveyor belt in Halifax. After talking to the very kind man at the customer service department, we were told our luggage would be flown in by dinner tomorrow.
It was well after midnight now and not much was open – aside from a truck stop that was as prepared with emergency products as a beach bum would be prepared for a blizzard. We did each get a toothbrush, and Kellie had toothpaste in her backpack; at least our teeth would be clean!
The next morning, I realized that I could be speaking to these ninety ladies in my traveling clothes that had also served as my pajamas. Speaking in white jeans would be a first! I had no fresh makeup, my hair wouldn’t be “fixed,” and the outfit I had carefully planned out would not be worn. The theme for the retreat was “The Woman in the Mirror.” I was going to be a living illustration of someone who was stripped of all outside appearances! But you know what? The Lord gave me a perfect peace. We had many laughs over the whole situation. With whom was there to be angry? After spending time with the Lord in prayer Saturday morning, I wrote these thoughts the Lord brought to my heart:
I am more desperate without God than I am without my luggage! – If the Lord didn’t go with me and speak through me, I would have stayed in my cabin, but I had His promise that He would strengthen and equip me for this task!
If God needs to strip away the veneer of my outside so that He might be glorified, then it’s best.
I can lose things, but I’m eternally secure in Christ.
The only control I have is over my own choices. God is sovereign! My response to this situation was critical.
Things don’t matter. God, His Word and souls are eternal and are the important issues to dwell on.
I plunged on through the day desiring to make the most of this unplanned situation. I had to do a little preaching to myself from time to time. It’s no surprise that one of my sessions was on the sovereignty of God! He was giving me a first-hand lesson!
That afternoon a few hours before the retreat started, we were driven to town where we were able to purchase things with $100 each, (provided by the airline) that would get us through until the luggage arrived.What a blessing! I did wear my top and sweater that I’d had on for 36 hours, but I found a petite skirt to wear with it! Kellie knocked it out of the park with a cute skirt outfit she found. We got to clean up and look a little less like Tennessee hillbillies and more like women who were prepared for a retreat! We were so thankful!
A happy reunion with my luggage!
Then wonder of wonders, as soon as the first service was over, our luggage was delivered to our door! I did get a little happy at the sight of my suitcase, but it was paired with the joy of the things the Lord had taught me in its absence! Who needs luggage when you have a sovereign God in control of everything that touches your life?! He has a plan that far outreaches my plans or the airline and I can trust Him! Losing my luggage wasn’t such a bad thing after all!
When have you had to trust the sovereign hand of God? Maybe even today something is out of your control, but God has not forgotten you. Trust His plan and rest in His care. He’ll do something marvelous!
I’ll let these pictures tell part of the story of my recent trip to Nova Scotia. Tomorrow I’ll be sharing some of what the Lord taught me and some interesting events that happened while we were gone.
For now, enjoy these snapshots…
And we’re off!
Leaving Greenville, SC.
Starbucks makes a travel day better!
My sweet friend and traveling companion doing some studying.
We got to see a little of the pretty countryside of Nova Scotia.
We enjoyed the treat and knew we would need the caffeine!
Time to study and pray before the retreat began.
Registration ladies and sweet friends!
Looking good in her new outfit – explanation on tomorrow’s post!
Jayne, wife of the director of Forest Glen Bible Camp.
Praying with a new friend.
The meeting room was transformed into a banquet hall in about 20 minutes!
Game time! Put a paper plate on your head – now look at Denise and draw her profile! The results were hilarious!
Winner of the game was this sweet lady!
Reacquainted with this dear friend who has been reading my blog since I was there the last time in 2011. Thank you, Stephanie!
A great view of the Statue of Liberty as we entered NYC!
Inside the tunnel of the Detroit Airport.
View from inside the Detroit airport.
I was thrilled to find Sanders Fudge topping, made in Michigan. I enjoyed this as a child.
The view out the plane window is always sunny and breathtaking!
RefreshHer 